Page 68 of Love Sanctioned

“Yeah. Gonna probably head to the fabric store tomorrow and get some swatches.”

“She is one of your best customers, ain’t she?” I asked, knowing I’d heard her say she was making dresses for Patience several times before.

“Yeah, she’s always going to galas and shit. Not to mention her daughter who every single time she sees her mother getting dressed up wants a new dress as well. It’s actually the cutest.”

The microwave went off. She immediately grabbed the plate and set it in front of me.

“You want water or a Coke?” she asked, leaning into the refrigerator.

“Water.”

She handed it to me a few seconds later.

“What time did Junior go to sleep?”

“Seven something. He said his allergies were acting up. I gave him meds.”

I laughed. “You’re always coddling him.”

“I am not. He wasn’t feeling well.” She pushed my shoulder toward the living room.

I grabbed her hand before she could get too far, pulling her back against me. “You’re gonna fuck our kids up. I can just feel it.”

She laughed. “Finish eating and stop bothering me, Psy.”

“Come feed me, so we can go upstairs and shower.”

She turned her beautiful face up. “Don’t nobody wanna feed you.” She didn’t move away from me though, instead staying near.

“Yeah you do. If I ain’t have no arms, would you feed me?”

“In a heartbeat, but you have arms, Posydiann.” She giggled, that tight curve of her lips brightening up everything in my world. Something about saying I do and promising this woman forever had altered my brain chemistry in a way I didn’t realize I needed. Today, all I wanted was to get home to her, to hear how her day had gone, even though I probably knew that motherfucker mentally. No part of me was a sap, but I’d run these streets long enough to know how these things ended, so nothing about it excited me. If anything, it was annoying, because I had other things to deal with…

Other things I actually wanted to deal with.

The next morning when I woke, I was the only person in the house. I knew that because when I was about to get up, Karsyn stopped me. She was going to her shop, so she offered to drop Junior off at school. I was good with that because I needed a few extra hours of sleep, or so I thought until I heard my phone ringing.

“Since when does the great Posydiann Murphy lay in bed after six in the morning?” Carla’s voice flowed through my phone as I walked through the house with it on speaker. I told Karsyn not to worry about breakfast this morning but she made it anyway. She had Junior so spoiled, because when it was just him and me, I stopped and got him something or he went over to Ma’s.

“Since life started tap dancing on me. What’s up?” I pushed the button on the microwave for thirty seconds on my food.

She laughed. “Stop acting like your life has been so messed up. Besides the wedding I didn’t get an invite to, I hear we have a baby coming into the family.”

The microwave went off.

“Nah, that’s good shit. And stop acting like you would have made it in time.” I grabbed my food and took a seat at the island.

“You’re right, I wouldn’t have. I’m just really happy for you and the direction you’re going in. How is my girl though?”

“Spoiling the fuck out of your son. You coming to get this nigga or what?” I asked.

She laughed. “You’re just mad you have to share your wife. But about that.” A pause filled the phone. “I think I’m gonna stay here… in Florida.”

That didn’t shock me at all. Junior was going on being with me for a year. After three months, I knew she wasn’t coming back.

“Say something, Psy.”

I guess my silence made her nervous. “Say what? You’re acting like I didn’t know you weren’t coming back? I knew when you told me you bought a car down there you were staying, C.”